In recent years, emphasis has been placed on educating high school students as to the responsibilities of parenthood, with the belief that increased awareness will result in a decrease in the number of unwanted teen pregnancies and infant abuse (e.g., neglect and head injuries), and an improvement in infant care. In providing such education, a teen is typically given a prop such as a five pound sack of flour or a raw egg. For a few days or a week, the student must carry the prop wherever he or she goes, or otherwise must provide a baby sitter for the prop. Such a regimen forces the student to assume the responsibility that a parent must assume when caring for an infant.
An infant simulation system appeared on the market to replace these props. Currently, the system is sold commercially as "Baby Think It Over." The "Baby Think It Over" system has been advertised in the Sex Education section of the Health Edco catalog (Waco, Texas) at a price of $250 each. The baby doll in the system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,388 to Jurmain et al. (hereinafter the "Jurmain doll"). The Jurmain doll is equipped with an electronic control inside the doll's trunk which comprises integrated circuits and a speaker to create a realistic cry similar to that of a human infant. This cry is turned on by a random interval timer that the student can deactivate by fitting a key into an electronic control mechanism. To discourage the student from loaning the key to another person, the key is typically secured to the student by a bracelet which must be cut for removal thereof.
Although the Jurmain doll is an improvement over the use of flour sacks and eggs in the simulation of infant behavior, it is expensive to manufacture due to the use of a controller that includes a large number of random-logic integrated circuits. At a price of $250 per doll, providing a doll to each student in a class of twenty students would cost upwards of $5000.
Another deficiency associated with the Jurmain doll is the inability of the doll to simulate a variety of different infant behaviors. The Jurmain doll includes a random-logic controller having only a limited number of electronic states. Another deficiency is the inability to adapt the doll to stuffed animals or other creatures, due to the hard-wired implementation.
Additionally, the Jurmain doll includes a crying interval timer for randomly starting crying sounds within a selected time range, and a crying duration timer for randomly setting a crying duration within a selected time range. These "random" durations and intervals are not associated with the doll's prior treatment or its present simulated discomfort.
A doll capable of simulating infant behavior that uses prior treatment by a caretaker to govern its future behavior would provide a more realistic experience of the responsibilities of caring for an infant. Additionally, a doll capable of simulating infant behavior that is available at a lower cost would allow a greater number of schools and community centers to expose teenagers and future parents or caregivers to the realities of infant care.